It’s a debate that rages on across several sports: which is better, artificial turf or real grass?

FIFA has its answer to the question. They’ll take the real thing.

Which is why it is a requirement that all FIFA matches — meaning all World Cup matches — be played on natural grass.

So the World Cup sites that had fake grass, like MetLife Stadium, had to turn over the turf.

“Because it’s the World Cup, it’s the best players on the planet. It’s the biggest tournament FIFA has ever conducted. It’s only justice that the best players on the planet hopefully get the best grass on the planet,” David Graham, the senior pitch manager for FIFA, said.

NY1 was there for the transition, watching crews lay down rolls of real grass.

One of the final steps in a long process that started years ago.

First: the research.

FIFA spent months looking into the right type of grass for each venue, based on factors including climate, altitude, shade, whether a field is indoors or outdoors and how many matches are set to be played there.

For MetLife, it was decided Bermuda Tahoma 31 was the way to go.

“The grass here is currently like a warm season grass. It has a lateral growth habit. It prefers very warm temperatures, so as the time goes on here in New York, New Jersey, we expect it to get better and better and better,” Graham said.

It took nearly a year to grow the grass on a farm in North Carolina.

Then, in early May, 27 trucks took 600 rolls on a 12-hour ride up to New Jersey, which is where crews worked the better part of two days laying it down.

Stitching machines also merged the rolls together to blend them into one pitch.

“The pitches are perfect because the team that you see behind me and in [all the] other venues spend meticulous time and effort, two months, three months beforehand, to get what you see on match day,” Graham said.

But last year, when Club World Cup matches were played at MetLife Stadium, players complained their cleats were getting caught in seams between the rolls of grass.

According to FIFA, last year, the installation happened only two weeks before the first match, compared to five weeks prior to this year.

“Here, it’s a completely different field. It’s a completely different scenario,” Graham said. “That was a temporary overlay field. It didn’t even have an irrigation system. This has a fully automated system, sub there or vacuum ventilation, dry lights. So this is as real and as institute as you could possibly get for a venue that have overlaid artificial surface.”

So the final countdown is on.

“What’s the first test? It’s the first match of the World Cup,” Graham said.

The first match is set for June 13.

“If a nation wins, the next four years, you see the captain holding that trophy, and that’s the moment FIFA and everyone in the world remembers,” Graham said.